01/30/2025January 30, 2025
Third hostage-prisoner swap to take place amid Gaza ceasefire
and other Palestinian groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad will release three Israeli and five Thai hostages under the terms of a ceasefire deal that took hold in the Gaza Strip earlier this month.
is to free 100 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
The swap is the third such exchange since the ceasefire went into force.
The Israelis set to be released are Agam Berger, 20, a female soldier; , a 29-year-old civilian woman who also holds German citizenship; and Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old man.
The identities of the Thai nationals who will be released were not immediately known.
The Thais were among a number of foreign workers who were taken hostage along with Israeli civilians and soldiers during the Hamas-led terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that triggered .
Twenty-three Thais were already released under another ceasefire in November 2023, with Israel saying eight remain in captivity.
The 110 prisoners to be released by Israel include 30 who are serving life sentences for carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis.
Former militant leader and theater director Zakaria Zubeidi, but was rearrested days later, is one of those set to be released.
Hamas is deemed as terrorist organization by the US, Germany, and several other countries. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also characterized as a terrorist organization by many countries.
tj/wd (Reuters, AP; AFP, dpa)
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